Year: 2014
Damn the Torpedoes! – How a 19th Century Innovation in Naval Warfare Produced the Military Industrial Complex
In his 1961 farewell address, outgoing president Dwight D. Eisenhower famously warned of the dangers posed to the American republic by what he called “military industrial complex”. According to Ike, the armaments industry, which had…
Culture Wars – Meet Nazi Germany’s ‘Monuments Men’
“From the very outset of the Second World War, Axis agents fanned out across the occupied territories in an epic campaign to snatch up Europe’s paintings, statues, artifacts and ancient manuscripts.” The Monuments Men, George…
Meet Wilmer McLean – One of the Civil War’s First and Last Victims
“The war exacted a heavy toll on McLean’s business.” WILMER MCLEAN WAS was too old to fight in the American Civil War. But that didn’t stop the 47-year-old Virginia farmer and merchant from finding himself…
Before Gatling – Who Was The First To Invent A Rapid-Fire Gun?
“While the Gatling gun may be the best-known early-machine gun, the mechanical marvel was by no means the first attempt to fire lethal projectiles in volleys or in rapid succession.” ONE OF THE GREAT ironies of…
The Battle of Nauru – Nazi Germany’s Forgotten Foray into the Pacific
“German warships would carry to the fight against the Allies to the very shores of Nauru. The ensuing battle would represent the only Nazi military action of World War Two to take place in the…
The Great War Makes the News – Catching Up With The Press’ Recent WW1 Coverage
The media sure loves an anniversary story – and the approaching centennial of the outbreak of World War One is no exception. For weeks now, newspapers have been capitalizing on the public’s mounting interest in the…
